Some talk about mink trapping lately.in yalls opinion,if you had to start over from scratch,or buy all new boddygrips specifically for mink,what traps that are available on the market today would you buy?

Duke 110s with modified triggers , 4 way triggered and longer trigger sure to make the bell shape a la bmi 110s

Here in Canada any of the older 120 bodygrips like vics or bmi that didnt pass the aihts for marten are good mink traps when waxed of course.
There are lots of them around cheap from when the marten trappers all upgraded to the better magnum aihts approved 120s.

I really favor the 160 RGB with one spring removed and the trigger wires shaped into a ( ) shape around 2-1/2” apart. I just recently purchased a doz 150 RBGs which appear to be nice traps. I added my spikes to them and will not modify the trigger wires as they will work just fine for BE sets as they are.

As an afterthought explaination, the reason I don’t use 160-size traps round body grips or square is that they usually won’t fit the BE undercuts I set but a 110 or 150 rbg will.

I've caught them any everything from 110's to even a couple in 220's.

Ken Smythe (The Bottom Edge Set) caught a lot more mink in a year than the guys on here (myself totally included) in a simple 110 size BG set under water. Everyone NOW has better gear than he had so if on land and water you may need to compromise some with jaw type/size and springs. He recognized mink habits and the weather in Michigan during the trapping season. Adapted to that and went on to make some pretty large catches! With that in mind, the Land - Water where you will trap should tell you more than I could. But for me, I like a bigger BG trap BECAUSE I am trying to harvest any/most of the fur bearers that pass through. With skunk prices as they were and the skull market paying my gas, a mink may be the target but non targets are not disappointing and can be utilized (just set more traps!). It may be slower to set but I will use a 160 on land and a 159 (single spring 160) in the water if after mink. I'm old enough to realize and still young enough to enjoy a furbearer catch. Ask the guys in New Jersey that are forced to use snares on mink what BG they would use if they could. I have caught a lot of mink in 220 size BG's through the years and enclosed is a picture of one I got in a 280 size BG unintentional a few years back so a big trap helps me. Will send another picture of this year's one.......................... the mike

here is one this season of a mink and a woodrat he had in another 280 set. .................the mike

What is everyone's preferred trigger configuration? V shape? The K shape? Bell Shape? Trip wire or no?

Inverted V.
Ir if trigger on bottom the L with the crosser one third up from bottom and upright one third from side.

I really like 160s for mink here.

I think over the years I’ve tried every single one you mentioned and also since I only make a dry trail set maybe once every few years, all of my mink sets are BEs. I find underwater trigger configuration makes little difference when using a 110 bg but more so with a 160-size trap, especially square. This is one reason why I love using rbgs for BE sets, you immediately take away the square inches of space the corners allow but I still like my triggers on the 160-size rbgs to be shaped as I previously stated - ( ). The rbg trap in this photo was a trap I’d crafted years ago and it was a little larger in diameter than purchased RBGs but still a 160-size trap.

That mink sure fills up that 160. That color fur reminds me of muskrat.
My mink here are alot darker but smaller

The bucks here are decent size, colors vary but usually are the muskrat color.

Those are some big buck mink!

What is 4 way triggered?

4 way trigger allows the trap to fire if the trigger was moved not just forward or backwards, but left to right as well.

Crawfish ponds keep them well fed

Down here a 110 is pretty light for mink. A lot of them I catch in a 110 are still alive. 120's work a lot better. 155 and 160's work really well. Like AirportTrapper said, crawfish ponds keep them well fed.

In NJ we lost the foothold in the 1980s. We can use bgs submerged up to 160 size, Snares and cages on dry land. We have some great mink trappers in this state. Newt always said he could put a mink snare anywhere a foothold could be used,hahahaha. I don't know about that but along with BE sets the snare is a very useful tool. I average 20 or so a season and I know a few who double that.

I would still pick up the 110 victor 4 way trigger/dog that are available and put them on any make that doesn't have a 4way trigger/dog.
It's a quality trigger thats stood the test of time for me and just cramps on. And id stick with my vic series 2 conis

Are those triggers available new anywhere? And are they for the 110 only?

How do the 155 and 160 do on incidental otter which I'm sure yall contend with as will I?

I caught a bunch of mink in 110's last year that was too big and were still alive.I'm upgrading to 160's this year and adding two dozen 1.5 coils for blind swts on the levees.

Bdaniel. Those triggers will be all New Old Stock
I believe Sterling Fur has all sizes. Call him is your best bet
Schmitt and WCS also carry some of them